31

Adeline

Leaning against the bathroom door, Jayden stares at me without a word, as if the very act of forcing his way into the room was not part of his plan. His breath is short and his eyebrows are furrowed as he silently scrutinizes me, and I struggle not to feel unsettled by his presence. His imposing build, his erratic breathing, his intense gaze and the confidence he exudes... But his posture remains defensive, and it seems as if he is struggling with himself, trying to decide if he did the right thing by coming here.

"Get out of here!" I hiss at him without even cracking a smile. I cross my arms over my chest and glare at him, doing my best to hide the emotions he stirs in me. There is a long silence after my request and I raise my eyebrows to let him know that he is far from welcome here.

"I had to talk to you," he says, nervously running a hand through his hair, causing several strands to rebel. He is no longer wearing his cap, and the sight of his unruly mane sends a multitude of little butterflies into my stomach... Do not be distracted.

"In a bathroom?" I ask, a bit sarcastically.

"I'm sorry, Adeline," he blurts out without any preamble.

"For entering without my permission?"

He smiles slightly, knowing that I will not make it easy for him. And he is not wrong, because right now I want him to leave, him and everything he makes me feel right now. Jealousy. Frustration. Anger. Anxiety. And worse... An excitement that I cannot seem to suppress.

"Yes, especially for Esther," he says.

Ah. I had almost forgotten...

He locks his eyes with mine and the atmosphere around us becomes electric. I remain silent as he slowly approaches me.

"What were you thinking?" I ask with a choked voice. "You weren't making my life miserable enough, and you had to hook up with one of my friends..."

"I'm sorry," he repeats, stopping just a few inches from me.

"Apology denied," I snap. "You can leave the room now."

With my arms still pressed to my chest, I try to block my breath as much as possible, preventing my nostrils from inhaling the scent of his perfume.

"Please, at least let me defend myself," he pleads.

My silence is my only response, and he takes a few steps back, putting some distance between us.

"I screwed up, okay?" he adds, making me roll my eyes.

"How perceptive of you, Einstein."

"Adeline..." he exhales, closing his eyes for a moment.

"Look, I can never erase what happened with your friend. I know that, but I really wanted you to know that I regret it."

He does not take his eyes off me, and I find it hard to hold his gaze. A little nervous, I back up a little and lean against the sink. I grab the edge with my hands, trying to steady myself.

"I had a lot to drink, she didn't let go of me all night, it was inevitable," he explains before I have a chance to judge.

"She loves you," I tell him.

"I know," he admits weakly. "I swear I did not want this to happen."

"That's the problem with you, Jayden. You have no idea what you are doing to the people around you."

He shakes his head vigorously and takes several steps in my direction again.

"You can't blame me for wanting to have some fun," he replies more firmly. "Your girlfriend knew I was not looking for anything serious, and she took advantage of my weakness that night."

"Do you have to flaunt yourself with another girl in front of her?" I explode, not sure if I am speaking on behalf of my friend. "Do you think that's respectful? Flirting in front of her when you know she loves you?"

As I pour out my torrent of words, he recoils slightly. He furrows his eyebrows and looks at me in silence for several seconds.

"It's not..."

"What is it, Jayden?" I interrupt him impatiently, preventing him from continuing.

"She... she thanked me."

I can't help but smile at his words before a bitter laugh escapes my throat.

"Mouth in neck and hand on chest doing who knows what? Strange way of thanking me," I say contemptuously, growing more and more disgusted by the images that come to mind.

He continues to look at me, completely lost in the conversation.

"And Esther noticed all this?" he asks suspiciously.

Caught off guard, I clear my throat loudly.

"How could she miss it?" I answer firmly. "It was all we could see!"

He does not even try to hide the smile that appears on his lips. His arms crossed over his chest, he studies me.

"Okay, then you will tell Esther..." he begins, slowly approaching me, "that Lydia is just a friend."

With my butt pressed against the sink, I do not move an inch, completely hypnotized by his confident gait and his dark irises. He places his hands on the edge of the sink, on either side of my hips. He does not touch me, but my body reacts as if he did. The palpitations in my chest almost cause me shortness of breath, and I struggle to catch my breath without letting his scent embalm my heart. The room falls silent again, only the muffled sound of music from downstairs reaches our ears.

"The last time I had a party here, it didn't end well."

He looks me straight in the eye, his face not ten inches from mine, his breath bouncing off my skin.

I want him to kiss me.

He takes a step back, releasing me from his barrier and creating a rush of fresh air on my body.

"It was a few days before I went home. Like tonight, there was a crazy crowd, but there was also this unbearable guy," he explains. "He provoked me all night long with harsh words and inappropriate behavior. He kept trying to push me to the limit. I don't know why, but it amused him.

He puts a hand to his face and tries to calm his breathing. I do not move and watch him, waiting for him to finish his story.

"Eventually he started harassing Lydia. Not only did he make insulting remarks, but he also tried to touch and kiss her. She laughed, but I could see that she was forcing herself not to hit him. No one did anything, everyone let the fat pig touch them as if it was normal, as if the alcohol in his blood gave him all the rights. But then there was this one gesture too many, on her breast, and I lost it".

A small laugh escapes his throat as he recalls the events.

"He underestimated me, the idiot. The result of the race, he left the party with the firemen and I left without a diploma".

Finally, he looks up at me and takes up his original position, embracing me with his body.

"This is the first time I have seen her since the incident," he reveals.

"You know that violence solves nothing," I reprimand him, not wanting to lose face in front of him. "Even if he was annoying, you just had to throw him out."

"I don't like people bothering people I care about. It's just the way I am, I act on impulse," he explains.

I scrutinize him, holding myself back since he positioned himself there, not wanting to just give in and kiss his mocking mouth. Internally, I chastise myself for only thinking about this as he drives the knife further into my chest: the people he loves deserve his attention, and I am not one of them.

"But I don't understand why you're telling me this," I ask him.

I finally push him off and make my way to the other side of the room, towards the door. It's clear that his list of girls at his feet is growing, and the thought of the beautiful brunette repaying him in her own way - by riding him - only makes me angrier. I barely have time to put my hand on the lock before two arms pinned me to the wall.

"To tell Esther it's not what she thinks," he whispers in my ear.

Maybe it's anger that he's lying to me, or maybe it's just my genuine jealousy of this girl who has his attention, his friendship, his smile, but I push him hard and force him to release his body from mine.

"She doesn't care," I lie openly, raising my voice. "She doesn't care about Lydia, she doesn't care about what you did, she doesn't care about your past, she doesn't care about..."

Before I can finish my sentence, his lips are pressed against mine, silencing me. He presses me against the door and locks my body into his. All my doubts disappear and my hands slip into his hair. My heart races and my legs begin to shake, but he holds me tighter, preventing me from falling. The kiss, fleeting at first, deepens when he asks for access with his tongue, which I give him in a second.

"I want you," he murmurs against my mouth.

My heart skips a beat as I realize what he just said and my whole body shakes. In response, I climb into his arms and wrap my legs around his hips. I feel him smile into his kiss, and he grabs my buttocks, pushing our bodies even closer together.

We're doing something reckless. I know it, but for nothing in the world do I want to break this embrace.

I grab a handful of his hair in my hands, my lips finding his neck, and a moan escapes him. His hands on my buttocks, he lifts me off the wall and places me on the edge of the sink. Legs spread, he stabilizes me by positioning himself between my thighs. His pelvis presses against me, leaving no doubt about his arousal. He watches me for a second with an intense gaze. He's irresistible and I can easily imagine the inner conflict he's struggling with. To prevent him from backing out, I unhook his belt buckle. His eyes darken and his mischievous smile consumes me. He kisses me again. This time it's brutal. Impulsive. Uncontrollable. With one arm wrapped around my waist, he slides the other under my short top and grabs one of my breasts. I can't hold back the moan that dies against his lips. Without hesitation, I slip my fingers into his shorts and take his hard and hot penis in my hand.

- Don't stop, he sighs.

- Neither do you.

He attacks my collarbone, nibbling and sucking my skin as I move my hand along his erection.

I want more. I want it all.

I grab his hair and pull, forcing his mouth back to mine. He moves his hips to the rhythm of my movements, still fervently caressing my breasts, before sliding his fingers to the clasp of my shorts. He eagerly opens them, finally burying his hand in my panties.

"Fuck," he growls.

My stomach twists and all my nerve endings awaken to form a bubble, ready to burst at the point where he torturously teases. I enjoy the muffled sounds he makes against my lips as he plays with my swollen clit. I want to come, but I hold myself back, not so fast. Not now. So I try to slow the pace of my hand on his sex, hoping and fearing that he will do the same.

"I'm really going to come," he gasps.

"Me too," I moan.

Because everything is too strong. Everything is too fast. Because of all the frustration that wants to explode. Weeks of rejection. Years of resentment. We are unable to slow down, to take our time, to think. It's primitive. It's a need. And just as he pushes a finger into me and buries his head in my hair, we are interrupted by the ringing of his phone.

That's our signal.

The red flag that tells us to stop. The moment we finally understand that we have crossed the point of no return.

"Shit."

In no time, Jayden pulls away from me, buttoning his jeans. His erection is impossible to hide and I cling to the sink like a life preserver. With burning cheeks and an excitement between my thighs that will be hard to come down from, I am out of breath. I stand on my legs and stagger, fingers trembling as I try to close my shorts, both intimidated by the situation and frustrated by this forced interruption.

"Hello?"

Jayden turns his back on me as I contemplate myself in the mirror. I look like nothing. Actually, I look like a girl who was about to sleep with her stepbrother.

"I'm coming," Jayden says.

With a trembling hand on my face, I try to compose myself and get rid of the traces of our deviation. My fingers smell of sex, my hair looks like it's been through the wash - just like my heart, which pounds fervently in my chest - and my eyes... my eyes scream at me, "How could you let this happen?"

"Your friends want to go home. They're downstairs with Cameron. He wants to drive them back, but he needs the keys to the apartment," Jayden says, turning to me and fixing me with an indescribable gleam in his eyes, letting a heavy silence settle between us.

"Do you want to come back?" he asks.

I nod in response, still a little shaky after the events of the last few minutes. I feel him on every inch of my skin, and my clit still pulses between my legs. I inhale deeply. He continues to observe me, and when our eyes meet, he turns to unlock the door but stops before opening it.

"Adeline," he murmurs while staying back to me. "We can't let that happen again."

My heart drops to the ground.

"I know."

"It was a mistake."

"I know."

Then he leaves and rushes down the stairs without once looking back to see if I'm following him.

Cameron and the girls are waiting for us downstairs. Frowning, Cameron looks at each of us before turning his attention to me.

"Adeline, come back with you guys," Jayden tells his brother, who finally sets his eyes on him.

He takes a set of keys from his back pocket and hands them to Holly, explaining which one to use.

"I'll call you a cab," he says.

"No, that's okay. I already called one," Holly interrupts.

"Very well. I'll stay," he continues, giving me a sideways glance. "You can have my bed tonight. You'll sleep better than in Cam's."

A long silence follows his forced suggestion, and I study him, raising an inquisitive eyebrow.

"No, I..."

"I don't know when I'll be back, so someone might as well enjoy it," he interjects.

"Okay... Thank you," I reply.

Without smiling at me, he turns his attention back to his brother, whom he hugs to say good night, and repeats the action with the girls. A little hesitantly, he also comes to greet Esther. She tensed as their bodies touched. As for me, he completely ignored me and disappeared into the kitchen.

My heart tightened and I fought to keep my tears from falling.

I felt miserable.